Where to buy milkweed
Independent nurseries, conservation non-profits and native plant societies. Enter a ZIP code and this will put the closest and most relevant first.
Why not the garden center?
Chain garden centers are the most convenient place to buy milkweed and usually the worst. What they stock is nearly always tropical milkweed, sold unlabeled as simply "milkweed", which is not native to the United States and causes real problems in frost-free states. It is also frequently treated with neonicotinoid insecticides, which persist in the leaves for months and kill the caterpillars the plant was bought to feed.
Two questions settle it, and an independent nursery can answer both: which species is this? and has it been treated with neonicotinoids? If nobody knows, buy somewhere else.
Native plant society sales are usually the cheapest option as well as the best. Plants are grown by volunteers from local seed, cost a few dollars, and come with somebody who can tell you where to put them.
Non-profits and conservation nurseries
Non-profit running a native plant nursery and demonstration gardens on the Colorado Front Range.
California native plant non-profit with a nursery, a seed program and a well-known plant sale.
Non-profit native plant program in the Arizona sky islands.
Maine non-profit selling wild-type native seed and running sowing workshops.
Non-profit nursery growing local-ecotype natives for the Potomac region.
Independent nurseries
One of the widest milkweed seed and bare-root ranges anywhere, with germination codes listed for every species.
Long-established independent nursery specializing in Midwestern natives.
Independent nursery growing Missouri-provenance natives.
Independent grower supplying Midwestern restoration projects.
Small independent mail-order nursery for eastern natives.
Ships plants from a network of independent native growers, so you can buy small quantities from wholesale nurseries.
Independent California native nursery with unusually detailed species notes.
Independent southern California native plant nursery.
Independent Bay Area nursery growing local-provenance natives.
Independent nursery and seed house for the arid Southwest.
Independent Tucson nursery specializing in Sonoran Desert natives.
Independent grower supplying Mid-Atlantic restoration work.
Independent Portland nursery growing Pacific Northwest natives.
Independent Intermountain West native plant nursery.
Independent Gulf Coast Florida native nursery.
Independent north Florida mail-order native nursery.
Long-running independent southeastern native plant nursery.
Independent Tennessee native plant nursery.
Independent Pennsylvania native plant and tree nursery.
Seed producers
Seed is far cheaper than plants. A few dollars of seed can plant an area that would cost hundreds in plugs, and fall sowing means winter does the cold stratification for free.
Independent seed producer supplying restoration-scale native seed by the pound.
Family-run native seed producer for the eastern and central states.
Family-run Texas seed house focused on regional ecotypes.
Independent prairie seed and plant nursery in north-east Iowa.
Independent California native seed house.
Independent seed supplier with a broad milkweed range in small packets.
Independent Upper Midwest native seed producer.
Family-run Ozarks native seed producer.
Independent Northern Plains native seed producer.
Family-run prairie seed producer in eastern Nebraska.
Independent Great Plains native seed company.
National directories
Nothing here is a complete list. These directories cover far more ground.
A regional directory of milkweed seed and plant vendors, maintained by an invertebrate conservation non-profit. The best single starting point.
Regionally appropriate milkweed plugs sold by a university research program, shipped at the right planting time for your area.
Volunteer chapters across the country running native plant sales, seed swaps and garden tours. Often the cheapest plants you will find.
A long-running state-by-state directory of native plant nurseries.
Native plant lists by ZIP code, with local nursery leads attached.
Free planting guides matched to your ecoregion rather than your state line.
Native plant sourcing advice and a map of other people doing the same thing near you.
Native plant societies by state
These run the plant sales. If you only follow one link on this page, make it your own state's.
- AK Alaska Native Plant Society
- ME Wild Seed Project
- VT Vermont Botanical and Bird Club
- NH New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts
- WA Washington Native Plant Society
- ID Idaho Native Plant Society
- MT Montana Native Plant Society
- ND North Dakota Forest Service seedling program
- MN Minnesota Native Plant Society
- IL Illinois Native Plant Society
- WI The Prairie Enthusiasts
- MI Wildflower Association of Michigan
- NY New York Flora Association
- MA Native Plant Trust
- RI Rhode Island Wild Plant Society
- OR Native Plant Society of Oregon
- NV Nevada Native Plant Society
- WY Wyoming Native Plant Society
- SD Great Plains Native Plant Society
- IA Iowa Native Plant Society
- IN Indiana Native Plant Society
- OH Ohio Native Plant Month
- PA Pennsylvania Native Plant Society
- NJ Native Plant Society of New Jersey
- CT Connecticut Botanical Society
- CA California Native Plant Society
- UT Utah Native Plant Society
- CO Colorado Native Plant Society
- NE Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
- MO Missouri Native Plant Society
- KY Kentucky Native Plant Society
- WV West Virginia Native Plant Society
- VA Virginia Native Plant Society
- MD Maryland Native Plant Society
- DE Delaware Native Plant Society
- AZ Arizona Native Plant Society
- NM Native Plant Society of New Mexico
- KS Kansas Native Plant Society
- AR Arkansas Native Plant Society
- TN Tennessee Native Plant Society
- NC North Carolina Native Plant Society
- SC South Carolina Native Plant Society
- DC Maryland Native Plant Society
- TX Native Plant Society of Texas
- OK Oklahoma Native Plant Society
- LA Louisiana Native Plant Society
- MS Mississippi Native Plant Society
- AL Alabama Native Plant Society
- GA Georgia Native Plant Society
- HI Plant Pono
- FL Florida Native Plant Society
Know somewhere good?
This list favors small growers, and small growers are exactly the ones that are hard to find from a distance. If you know an independent nursery, non-profit or seed producer that sells regionally appropriate milkweed, please suggest it.